News From Hull & East Yorkshire

Naming Ceremony for Hull Trains’ First Pioneer

To celebrate the pioneering spirit of its home town, Hull Trains will be naming its brand new fleet of Class 222 Pioneer Trains after key figures that have helped to shape the modern history of Hull.

The first Pioneer in the fleet, Unit 101, was christened 'Professor George Gray', CBE FRS, FRSE, whose work into the creation of new liquid crystals at The University of Hull in the 1970s led to the development of the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). The naming ceremony was held on Thursday, June 30 at 11.15 at Paragon Station in Hull, and Professor Gray, accompanied by members of his family, unveiled the plaque to dedicate the train.

The innovative work of Professor Gray had a significant local impact as well as being of worldwide importance, with limitless practical applications, including displays in laptop computers, calculators, microwave ovens and mobile telephones to name but a few. For this reason, Professor Gray was invited to be the namesake of Hull Trains' first Pioneer train.

Mark Leving, Hull Trains' Managing Director, commented: 'When we were looking to name our new fleet of Class 222 Pioneers Professor Gray was one of the first people that we considered because of the effect that his work has had on the local community as well as the global market. He is a modern pioneer.

'Our new 222s keep us at the forefront of rail technology and we felt that Professor Gray embodies this desire to innovate and explore new horizons. We were delighted when Professor Gray allowed us to name our first Pioneer in his honour and it was our pleasure to welcome Professor Gray back to Hull for the naming ceremony.'

Professor Gray said: 'I was very touched and surprised when Hull Trains approached me about naming a train after me. The company's doing great things for the city and I'm delighted and honoured to have one of these splendid trains bearing my name.'

The remaining three trains in the new fleet will all be named, taking the titles of Pioneers from a range of sectors that have been influential in the development of Hull, as it looks towards achieving Top Ten city status. The names of these illustrious figures are safely under wraps for the time being but watch this space for further announcements...